King Black Acid & Eden Mononym, LIVE! (#77)

With a two hour show, the extra time is often needed to help accommodate bands, either when they need to set up, call in, or what-have-you. But in cases like this, the extra hour works out great when you have two guests you’d like to fit in. On those days when you want to double-your-pleasure, so to speak, two hours works out just fine when you want to cover two incredible acts in one show.

In Hour 1, join us for an interview with King Black Acid, plugging the new record and the show happening at The Space Concert Club. We also premiere a track by Orchards, also on the bill with a new EP of incredible tune.

Then, in Hour 2, join us for an interview with, and performance by, Eden Mononym, an electronic musician and artist who blew the doors off the show with a fantastic set that you will not ant to miss.

Two-for-one. It’s a show you won’t want to miss.

Enjoy.

Spinitron Playlist

King Black Acid & Eden Mononym (#77)

HOUR 1: King Black Acid

Part I: Getting Started

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)

Part II: “The dream life of the music.”

02.) Interview * King Black Acid * 17 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

• The show, the band & the new album, the changing line-up over time, religious and occult influences, changing recording technology, songwriting goals, making art over the years, genre splicing, music that demands attention vs. music without nutrition, Hitting Birth and their influence on King Black Acid’s path, The Mothman Prophecies soundtrack and relative ‘success,’ who King Black Acid really is, plugging the show and making radio mix tapes.  kingblackacid.com.  King Black Acid on MyFacester+.  Mazinga Records.

Part III: Alice’s Playlist

03.) Welcome Home Down The Rabbit Hole * King Black Acid And The Crystal Unicorn * Super Beautiful Magic * Mazinga Records (2017)
04.) Radiation Baby * Orchards * To Lose Completely * Self-Released (2017)

HOUR 2: Eden Mononym

Part IV: All The Way From Oregon

05.) Live Performance [Excerpt] * Eden Mononym * 2017 NorCalNoiseFest Day One * Bandcamp.com (2017)

Part IV: “Endless laughs.”

06.) Interview * Eden Mononym & Austin Rich * 17 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

• Gear talk, getting started with programming and building modular systems, tape loops and video game music, the early internet, starting to record, One Infinite Loop, electronic composers, starting Eden Mononym, the ever changing record, the inner irony of organic sounding electronic music, evolving gear and technologies, a new record and new synthesizers on the way for 2018.

Part V: Hypnotic

07.) Live Performance * Eden Mononym * 17 November 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part VI: Lips Flappin’

Fischkopf Sinfoniker, LIVE! (#62)

It’s been a few years since the last time I worked with Fischkopf Sinfoniker, and while some time had elapsed, it was great to get back into the swing of things with such a great performer.  Just a few years ago, he was using individual boxes linked together to great his scoundscapes, but these days he’s a eurorack performer, and it was incredible to see him roll up, put one case on the table, and proceed to coax the most beautiful sounds out of them.

While Fischkopf is entirely electronic, there is an organic nature to his performances that evoke doom bands with guitars, or some of the ethereal sounds of Cocteau Twins.  Watching him weave this and other sounds into his performances is an often a subtle visual experience, but the powerful mix of audio that he produces is extreme, brutal, and fantastic.

For this show, I perform nearly an hour of improvised cuts-ups to start things off, and then stick around to two performances (and two interviews) in hour two.  As if that weren’t enough, conclude with another installment of Dimestore Radio Theater, this time with The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.

I will admit: the timing on this one is all off.  The second interview and performance were not heard by “live” listeners, and are only available as part of this podcast.  There’s a few other bits I had to re-arrange for the live vs. pod version, but hopefully for you, you won’t even notice.  From you vantage, you get two interviews, and two live performances.  Not too shabby for a free radio program.

Enjoy.

Spinitron Playlist

Fischkopf Sinfoniker, LIVE!

HOUR 1

Part I: Running An Errand

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) Fool’s Errand * Attic Ted * Parade Dust Mischief * Bandcamp.com (2016)

Part II: 

05.) Deconstruction I * Austin Rich * 28 July 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part III:  

07.) Deconstruction II * Austin Rich * 28 July 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

HOUR 2

Part IV: 

08.) Live Part I * Fischkopf Sinfoniker * 28 July 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
09.) Interview Part I * Fischkopf Sinfoniker * 28 July 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part V: 

09.) Interview Part II * Fischkopf Sinfoniker * 28 July 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
10.) Live Part II * Fischkopf Sinfoniker * 28 July 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part VI: Dimestore Radio Theater!

11.) The Head Wave * The Adventures of Phillip Marlowe * 16 April 1949 * CBS Radio (1949)

Herd William, LIVE! (#58)

Each show we make is completely unique, and in many ways, I’m not even sure what each new show will bring. I prepare and plan for sure, and it isn’t that I wander in each week tabula rasa and discover what “radio” might be, this time. But like jazz and improvisational music, there is a point A and a point Z, and between those two there are a million different possibilities each week.

Herd William‘s hit-and-run assault on our program was not only unpredictable, but incredibly short.  He managed to load in, perform twice, interview for about 20 minutes total, then pack out in less than an hour. It was certainly something to behold, and a lesson for those who need lots of set-up time when they want to play.  Fortunately for us, he did not skimp on the performance.  Both sets are a high-octane blast of experimental noise all his own, and this is probably one of the best ways to get to know his particular kind of music.

But that’s not all!  In addition to my own 20 minutes of live mixing and mashing, we also kick-start the show with a world premier track by Aldo Calrissian, friend of the show and soon to have a new record that you can hear very soon.  In the meantime, this show starts off with a sample, and you heard it here first.  As if that weren’t enough, we top things off with another installment of Dimestore Radio Theater, this time presenting a Rocky Jordan story that is about as Noir as they get.

In a lot of ways, this one is a variety show, and I couldn’t be more pleased with this kind of thing. This is certainly a good way to prepare for the show that we’re putting on at the end of July, featuring some doom and drone metal combos that you will not want to miss.  (Including Herd William and Don Haugen.)  But more than anything, this has the feel of a show that I wish I had tuned in at home, scanning the dial, looking for something new to hear.

And that, alone, is an accomplishment in and of itself.

 Enjoy.

Spinitron Playlist

Herd William, LIVE!

HOUR 1

Part I: New Music Preview

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) Destroy All Bring New (preview) * Aldo Calrissian * Destroy All Bring New (preview) * Unreleased (2017)

Part II: PDQ Playlist

02.) Music Is (Part I) * Austin Rich * 30 June 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part III: Swing Into Things

03.) Music Is (Part II) * Austin Rich * 30 June 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part IV: Herd of Mouth

04.) Live Performance I * Herd William * 30 June 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
05.) Interview Part I * Herd William * 30 June 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
06.) Word of Mouth * Herd William * Black Metal Herd * Self-Released (2012)

HOUR 2

Part V: Herd’s Remains

07.) Live Performance II * Herd William * 30 June 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
08.) Interview Part II * Herd William * 30 June 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
09.) Our Remains * Herd William * Herd William * Self-Released (2012)

Part VI: Dimestore Radio Theater 

10.) The Big Heist * The Adventures of Rocky Jordan * 20 November 1949 * CBS Radio (1949)

Just Kitten, LIVE! (#49)

Between last week’s incredible show featuring Vortex Remover, and the punk rock blast we got from Just Kitten tonight, The Meaning of Life party promises to be pretty fuckin’ dope this weekend.  Eight bands, two venues, and 42 years, all brought together to enjoy good music.  If you’re not doing anything, come out and enjoy the show.

Because at The Fifty, Just Kitten will be debuting in front of audiences.  And on this show, you can preview all their songs, and get a taste for what they’re all about.  I’ve done this a few times over the years, and there is something very special about a band at the first stages of their work.  It is never polished, it is never how the band turns out in the end, but there is an energy and a momentum to the earliest phases of a band that I find incredibly compelling, and for that, Just Kitten delivers in spades.

Half Interweb Joke, and deadly serious the rest of the time, this is down home, queer cat punk rock the way it was meant to be.  So often the airwaves have a straight (male) perspective, and even if it is just to have fun and make a lot of noise, I find that it is endlessly more entertaining to present that other perspective, and get to know what these kittens are all about.
The line-up this weekend is crazy, and throughout the show I pepper the presentation with the other acts on the bill.  And they, podcast listeners get a bonus track: MKUltramegaphone, performing live in Portland in March.  They’re closing out the show on Sunday, and bringing this party weekend to and end.  Seems fitting we should end the podcast this way, too.

This show was a lot of fun, and really, you’ve gotten hear it to believe it.  And in that regard, you are lucky.

Enjoy.

Spinitron Playlist

Just Kitten, LIVE! 

Part I: très gone

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) Performance [Excerpts] * Trés Gone * 16 March 2013 * What’s This Called? (2013)
03.) House * The Long Division Trio * House * Self-Released (????)

Part II: The Taylor Household File Structure

05.) SOPA (I Am Undecided) * /root_DIR * EP * Self-Released (2013)
06.) Space Unicorn * Gordon Taylor * E.P. * Self-Released (2013)

Part III: Queer Cat Punk

08.) LIVE PERFORMANCE * Just Kitten * 28 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part IV: A Talking Cat?

14.) evil lab ambience * Leigh Stevens * evil lab ambience * Self-Released (????)
15.) Live Interview * Just Kitten * 28 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part IV: JKDJ.

16.) Cheese Farm (Radio Edit) MARC & The Horsejerks * Cheese Farm * Bandcamp.com (2014)
17.) Jazz Crimes * The Last Artful, Dodgr & Neill Von Tally * Bone Music * Bandcamp.com (2017)
18.) Dramamine * Modest Mouse * This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About * Up Records (1996)
19.) The World Political * C.P. * The Beatles * Deathbomb Arc Records (2004)
20.) Codine Eyes * Dreamcrusher * Quid Pro Quo EP * Bandcamp.com (2016)
21.) With Shotguns * Songs For Moms * I Used To Believe In The West * Bandcamp.com (2009)
22.) I Wish I Was Him * Noise Addict * The Taste In My Eyes * Fellaheen Records (1993)
23.) Hardly Wait * PJ Harvey * 4-Track Demos * Island Records (1993)
24.) Sin Guía, No * Juana Molina * Wed 21 * Sony Music (2013)

Vortex Remover, LIVE! (#48)

Among the many reasons that I have become a huge supporter of these home-town heroes is that they have songs about tea.  (And, as rumor would have it, a forthcoming release that will feature a number of songs about tea in various ways.)  So any chance I get to put the kettle on for these gents just feels right.  There is a certain amount of Douglas Adams in me that constantly feels like I’m wandering around in my dressing gown trying to find a creature comfort that just doesn’t exist in this universe, and when you meet people like Vortex Remover, you have to respond with healthy enthusiasm, because you get the impression that they feel that way, too.

In some ways, this might veer a little off the “experimental” path, so for those of you who are already loosing interest because they don’t make harsh noise or drones, fear not.  While some elements of what they do might veer into the world of rock music, their is a strangeness to the instrumentation, the songwriting… Vortex Remover is probably more experimental than some of the noise guys I’ve worked with just in terms of their lo-fi, stripped-down, anything-goes approach, and they are painfully DIY, given that they build their own gear, do all their own recording, and create some of the most compelling sounds I’ve heard out of a drum stick and mini-amp.  Vortex Remover might have a little more “pop” and “rock” in their tunes than a lot of the stuff I play usually does, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t one of the weirdest things you’ll ever hear, and you’ll get what I mean when you start to hear them play.

What follows is a casual, technical-difficulty-laden, but otherwise very fun evening with a pair who have such a specific vision for the music they make that words truly fail to describe them, and if that sounds exciting to you, then you’ll get why I’m such a fan.  While they are of few words when it comes to the interview portion of this program, they more than deliver in terms of excellent live music, which just gets better as the show goes on.  (And, if you would like a little more conversation, might I recommend the recent interview that Julie and I did with them on our podcast.) Couple that with a short DJ set of their favorite tunes, and another installment of Dimestore Radio Theater, and this is a practically a super-sized broadcast.

Here’s to ridding your own house of any unneeded vortexes that may be in your home.  These guys are pros.

Enjoy.

Spinitron Playlist

Vortex Remover, LIVE! 

Part I: electro Atlas 

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) Engine Hum * The Enterprise * Star Trek: The Next Generation * Paramount (1987)
03.) Atlas Holding Up the Celestial Spheres * Vortex Remover * Rawkward Phase * Self-Released (2017)
04.) electro ambience * Leigh Stevens * electro ambience * self-released (????)

Part II: LIVE VR

05.) Live Set 1 * Vortex Remover * 21 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
06.) Interview * Vortex Remover * 21 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
07.) Live Set 2 * Vortex Remover * 21 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part III: The VR DJ Set

08.) Tumble Bumble * Vortex Remover * Rawkward Phase * Self-Released (2017)
09.) Farmer Girl * Sustentacula * Farmer Girl * Self-Released (????)
10.) Conduct This Misfortune * Shepherds of Ontario * Conduct This Misfortune * YouTube.com (2009)
11.) Pornogirl * 40lb Suit of Bees * Pornogirl * Self-Released (????)
12.) Starting Over (Bad Habits) * Typhoon * Hunger and Thirst * Tender Loving Empire (2010)
13.) Making Me Feel * Kylie Burbank * Demos * Self-Released (2015)

Part IV: Dimestore Radio Theater

14.) Universe * X-Minus 1 * 15 May 1955 * NBC (1955)

Bob Bucko Jr., LIVE! (#47)

In 2015 Bob and I played a show together at Mothership Music (as part of the group I sometimes perform with, Dead Air Fresheners).  The show was incredible, but what stood out for me what how I managed to get his songs stuck in my head from that night.  Where so many experimental acts do everything to resist certain kinds of musicality, Bob managed to synthesize heartfelt, earnest performances with extremely experimental performance and structural techniques, and emphasized improvisation over other skill and attributes.

And yet, stumbling out of this music store that night, I was humming Bob’s tunes.  He was clearly surrounded by friends and fans at that show, but from that moment on, I was one of them.

Bob’s record label, Personal Archives, has been a supporter of this program since the beginning, and this isn’t the first time he’s graced our airwaves.  (We did a ton of tour support for him in 2016, which culminated in a phone interview in October.)  What I’ve really enjoyed about getting to know Bob is that he is as much musician as he is philosopher, and he manages to give me both those and more facets of his incredible personality, all in this live radio event.

This one sort of speaks for itself: two friends, hanging out, with music in their hearts.  I have a feeling you’re gonna like this one.

Enjoy.

Spinitron Playlist

Photos and Animated gifs

Bob Bucko Jr., LIVE! 

Part I: “Between Personal Ineptness and the adage ‘Never Meet Your Heroes.'”

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) When In Home Do As The Homans Do * Conformity Contortion Perception Management * Personal Archives (2017)
03.) Live Performance * Bob Bucko Jr. * 3 April 2015 At Mothership Music * Unreleased (2015)

Part II:  Heart

04.) Performance 1 * Bob Bucko Jr. * LIVE 14 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part III: Head

05.) Interview * Bob Bucko Jr. * LIVE 14 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
06.) Live Performance * Bob Bucko Jr. * 4 April 2015 on What’s This Called? * What’s This Called? (2015)
07.) Live Performance * Bob Bucko Jr. * 25 June 2011 at Unforgivable Records * Unreleased (2011)

Part IV: Soul

08.) Performance 2 * Bob Bucko Jr. * LIVE 14 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
09.) Torture Mocks Once At Every Man’s Boredom * Conformity Contortion Perception Management * Personal Archives (2017)

Part V: One More

10.) Performance 2 * Bob Bucko Jr. * LIVE 14 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
11.) Shed No Tears * Bob Bucko Jr. * 2017 Spring Tour * Personal Archives (2017)

Part VI: Dimestore Radio Theater Presents

12.) The Little Man Who Wasn’t All There * Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar * 29 October 1949 * CBS Radio (1949)